"Buzz—"
Lin Zhao's mind went blank. He hadn't expected Xu Beibei to suddenly kill Shen Lanzhou. A shadow fell over his heart. He shouldn't have held back his true strength or hesitated. What if he died in Baihua Tianxia? He was a player, he could revive after all. At worst, he would have wasted a trip to Baihua Tianxia and returned to the Human World. What was there to fear?
"Young Master Shen..."
Yu Qingqiu looked at Shen Lanzhou's tragic state, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling. Shen Lanzhou had been killed by Xu Beibei's punch for speaking up for her!
"Hmph!"
Xu Beibei sneered. Seeing that Shen Lanzhou was not yet dead, he stomped down fiercely on Shen Lanzhou's head.
But just then, a powerful fist intent exploded. A punch broke through the wind, it was Lin Zhao's Qi Chong Dou Niu.
"Peng—"
With the collision of fist qi, Xu Beibei, who had hastily blocked, was forced back several steps. Lin Zhao glanced at him indifferently, then knelt on one knee, helping up Shen Lanzhou's mangled upper body. He looked at the spoiled young master with a gentle gaze and said, "Brother Shen, do you have any last words?"
Blood and foam flowed from Shen Lanzhou's mouth. Tears and blood mixed in his eyes. He grabbed Lin Zhao's sleeve with one hand and cried, "Lin Zhao... Lin Zhao..."
Lin Zhao's nose twitched. It seemed that at the brink of death, people truly only had kindness left.
"Speak."
Lin Zhao said softly.
"You must... you must protect Qingqiu well... I beg you..." Shen Lanzhou's tears flowed like a river. "Qingqiu, although she is proud, she is kind-hearted. She shouldn't have ended up like this..."
"I understand. I will do my best. Is there anything else?" Lin Zhao asked.
Shen Lanzhou could barely breathe, his eyes blurred with tears as he looked at Lin Zhao. "Before, I'm sorry to you, I'm sorry..."
Lin Zhao almost burst into tears. "It's alright, it's alright."
"And..."
Shen Lanzhou, tears still flowing, pointed at the Second Prince not far away. "Lin Zhao... if you are truly extraordinary, if you are truly... truly that legendary immortal who descended to earth, then kill this beast Xu Beibei... such a beast... will only cause more innocent people to die if he remains in this world..."
"I know. I will do my best."
"Thank you..."
Shen Lanzhou let out a long sigh, his wish fulfilled. He closed his eyes and died tragically.
...
"Tsk tsk!"
Xu Beibei crossed his arms and smiled. "How touching. A young hero of the martial world, a descended immortal, acting on behalf of heaven, right? Heh heh heh, it doesn't matter. In a little while, you'll be joining him in the underworld."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao slowly raised his hand, drew the Li Quan Sword, a fierce killing intent in his eyes, and smiled. "I'll do my best. If I can kill him, I will. If not, I will never wait passively for death."
With that, Lin Zhao looked at the cultivators in the inn and smiled. "This beast has surrounded the Qinglu Inn. His ultimate goal is to silence everyone. Do you really think anyone can leave this inn alive today? If you don't want to die, then act with me. We'll try to save as many as we can. Those who survive, remember to tell the world what kind of beast the Second Prince of the Xu Dynasty is, and how the imperial family of the Xu Dynasty goes against the will of heaven and harbors demons."
Everyone gritted their teeth. Lin Zhao's simple words had struck their deepest fears. Everyone could see that the Second Prince intended to silence them all today, otherwise, this matter would leave a lasting infamy.
"You're seeking death?!"
Xu Beibei's face was filled with killing intent, his fist intent growing stronger. He sneered, "Then you'll die first!?"
As he spoke, Xu Beibei suddenly charged out, his punch swift as lightning, aimed directly at Lin Zhao's chest. The next moment, Xu Beibei's sure-to-win punch missed. The swordsman in the blue robe vanished as if he had disappeared into thin air. But the ninth-realm Flood Dragon servant behind Xu Beibei felt the world darken and was engulfed in a vast, small world.
Lin Zhao understood. Although he wanted to kill the damnable Second Prince the most among those present, the real formidable enemy was the ninth-realm old Flood Dragon. The Second Prince, though a ninth-realm martial artist, had a mediocre foundation and couldn't be considered a peak ninth-realm martial artist. But the old Flood Dragon was different. His Nascent Soul realm was too solid, his physique was extremely strong, and the divine abilities of the demon race were also quite formidable. Therefore, to escape today, he had to kill this ninth-realm old Flood Dragon!
"Little bastard, you're seeking death?!"
The old Flood Dragon, though within the vast small world, was still ferocious. He coiled his body, his demonic energy erupting, and his palms struck out, transforming into a majestic intent of a golden Flood Dragon striking the heavens. But in the air, Lin Zhao had already suppressed some of the opponent's strength with the small world. Now, with a strong sword intent filling the Li Quan Sword, the moment he unleashed his sword, the opponent's Flood Dragon manifestation was completely annihilated!
One sword to slay an immortal!
"Boom—"
A sword light flashed past, and the old Flood Dragon's body was pierced through. This old Flood Dragon could definitely be considered the ancestor of the Flood Dragon clan at the bottom of the Lingze River. He was only one step away from the tenth realm, and his physical body was as strong as it could be in Baihua Tianxia, but it still couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Sword Slaying Immortal. His chest was pierced, and although his body did not disintegrate, a spray of blood gushed out.
"You!"
The old Flood Dragon revealed a bit of his true form, his expression growing even more ferocious. But before he could act, his body was lifted into the air by Lin Zhao's Ascending Dragon Slash. Then, five Heavenly Lightning Talismans were simultaneously ignited. Lin Zhao was fighting with all his might, igniting five Heavenly Lightning Talismans consumed a full 150 points of stamina. His body descended from the sky, and the five Heavenly Lightning Talismans were stuffed into the old Flood Dragon's mouth. Then, his body rose again, and from above, he unleashed a series of fierce attacks with the Sword Breaking style!
"Pang pang pang—"
Disorderly sword qi poured down like a torrential rain. Before the old Flood Dragon could open his mouth, the power of the Heavenly Lightning Talismans was triggered. Countless golden lightning bolts descended from the sky, and Lin Zhao, bathed in lightning in the air, was unharmed. These golden lightning bolts came from his own Heavenly Lightning Talismans and were close to his own military path, so they would not cause him any harm. Instead, these lightning bolts continuously struck the old Flood Dragon's body, blasting his skin and flesh open. His arms quickly turned to charcoal.
"Lin Zhao, you little bastard!"
The old Flood Dragon became even more ferocious, but Lin Zhao's mind was focused, only attacking. With a sweep of his sword, the five immortal swords within his spiritual void – Chi Xin, Guo Ke, Xian Chen, Feng Ling, and Gu Cheng – along with the twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords, all appeared behind him and descended with a roar, hacking and slashing at the old Flood Dragon. Blood splattered, and scales flew. A ninth-realm old Flood Dragon, facing the desperate assault of a peak ninth-realm sword cultivator like Lin Zhao, resulted in a rather tragic scene.
More importantly, the old Flood Dragon was only at the ninth realm and had no knowledge of the concept of "heaven and earth." Thus, he suffered greatly from the vast, small world. By the time he began to truly regard Lin Zhao as an opponent, he was already deeply wounded.
"Little bastard, I will make you suffer eternal damnation!"
The old Flood Dragon finally caught his breath, his expression ferocious, demonic energy surging all around him. But just as he was about to condense an offensive demonic art, the sky suddenly became blindingly bright. A necklace around the young swordsman's neck flashed with light. Then, he raised his long sword, dragging a projection of the scorching sun from the sky. In an instant, it transformed into a scorching sun that descended from above, striking the old Flood Dragon's body head-on.
Scorching Sun Blessing, a large special skill of the Sun Chaser's Chain.
In an instant, the old Flood Dragon's body entered a petrified state. Lin Zhao descended from the sky, controlling eighteen flying swords to continuously attack, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds on the old Flood Dragon's body. Lin Zhao was truly doing his best, doing everything he could to heavily wound the old Flood Dragon. But after all, he was a player, and this old Flood Dragon was a ninth-realm demon. Instant kill was impossible. After this barrage of attacks and the damage from the talismans, the old Flood Dragon still had about 40% of his health bar left!
At this moment, the effect of the vast, small world was about to end, and the boundaries of heaven and earth began to blur.
The old Flood Dragon knelt on the ground, covered in blood, but his life force was still strong. A dignified ninth-realm old Flood Dragon, given enough time to rest, could regain his combat power.
...
"Li Ying!"
Lin Zhao tapped his sword sheath and said, "Help me?"
"Coming!"
The Folding Fan Goddess rushed out of the Li Quan Sword's sheath almost without hesitation, raising her folding fan and unleashing a golden storm that smashed down fiercely on the old Flood Dragon's head, further aggravating his injuries. The next moment, Lin Zhao took a stack of talismans from his embrace and stuffed them into Liu Liying's hand, saying, "Use them within your capabilities. I have no more stamina left."
"Oh..."
While Liu Liying was stunned, the vast, small world had disappeared. The moment the vast world vanished, a figure flew over. It was Yu Qingqiu, injured by Xu Beibei's punch. Without a word, Lin Zhao caught Yu Qingqiu with one hand and shouted, "Liying, Heavenly Lightning Talisman, Immobilization Talisman!"
"Mm!"
Liu Liying, her folding fan barely blocking the residual fist qi from Xu Beibei, consecutively ignited two talismans, depleting her last Heavenly Lightning Talisman. Those lightning bolts scorched Xu Beibei's skin, but the ninth-realm martial artist's physique was too strong. The moment Xu Beibei punched, an Immobilization Talisman transformed into military intent and seeped into his body, rendering him immobile for a short time.
Lin Zhao protected Yu Qingqiu behind him with one hand, and with the other, he raised his long sword. Instantly, the five immortal swords and twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords all attacked, "Pfft pfft pfft" cutting into Xu Beibei's body. However, the ninth-realm martial artist, his face covered in blood, laughed defiantly, "I am an extreme realm martial artist, a sword cultivator of the mortal world. No one is qualified to kill me!"
"Trouble!"
Lin Zhao watched the talismans in Liu Liying's hand being of ordinary power, and his heart grew anxious. After all, she was just a Folding Fan Goddess, not a deity dedicated to combat! At the same time, a large number of cavalry and accompanying cultivators from the Xu Dynasty charged from all directions.
"Liying, protect Yu Qingqiu and find an opportunity to leave!"
Lin Zhao shot forward, holding his sword with both hands, and fiercely unleashed a Sword Slaying Immortal strike on Xu Beibei's head, directly making the Second Prince's skull bloom with blood, his face covered in gore. But his vitality was too strong. He threw a punch from afar, blasting Lin Zhao back into the air. At this moment, a large number of accompanying cultivators were already slaughtering the innocent cultivators residing in the Qinglu Inn.
"It's over..."
A chill ran through Lin Zhao's heart.
But just then, a ray of auspicious light descended from the sky, as if the gate of heaven had opened. Immediately, Lin Zhao heard the long-lost voice of Xiao Jiu'er: "Brother Lin Zhao, dodge!"
The moment Lin Zhao moved, a wisp of ethereal sword qi descended from the sky!
...
On the ground, Xu Beibei, the ninth-realm old Flood Dragon, the young Golden Core cultivator, and others all squinted at the bright light in the sky. Who was that? Could it be a legendary Heavenly Being?